Lubricated shaft bearing



y 3, 1952 v. s. JOHNSTON 2,602,712

LUBRICATED SHAFT BEARING Filed Sept. 23. 1947 H LL- E l6 4 i \O lNl/ENTOB arrow/ 5V Patented July 8, 1952 LUBRICATED SHAFT BEARING V Virgil-SJJohnston, Glendale, Califl, assignor of one-halfto Joseph R. Broadbent, Huntington v Park, Caliii,

{This invention has to do with a-lubricated shaft bearing 'and'is more particularly-concerned with a structure useful onshafts or in connection with bearings supporting shafts-which are so arranged that lubricant cannot be effectively held in ordinaryj'lub'ricated 'bearingstructures. It is a general object of thepresentinventionto provide 'sucha structure, thatfis; to provide a lubricated vertical shaftbearing that is simple; and effective andyet-inexpensiveof construction. "Diificultyi's experienced in properly lubricating bearingsofshaftswhichare arranged other than horizontally, f or example, the bearings of a vertically disposed motor shaft, since'gravity tends towork-lubricant down such a shaft away from the bearings; In'ti'me the bearings of such a shaft; become "dry, and Im'ay'be injured or destroyed by 3 use of the; motor that is well within its normal capacity; Difiiculty such as is'referred to' ischaracteristicof small or fractional horse power electric motors where the bearings are simple and limitedas to size, and where little or n QcareQ or attention is given to the matter of lubrication. 5 I V It is a" eneral object ofthisinvention to provide'fa bearingstructure fora vertical shaft in which lubr'icant'flowing ,downfro'm the bearing is caught and returned to the bearing so that a constantfcirculatidn" is maintained as the shaft operates; all with'littleior no loss of lubricant. Another'object'of myfpresent invention is to provide a structure of the "general-character referredito iii which capillary flow'or wickaction is' employed to circulate lubricant from the lower end of a'vertical bearingtothe' upper end thereof.

It, is another object of-the invention to provide a structureofl the typ'ereferred to employing an annular cup, beneath the bearingproper. to hold a supplyfof lubricant which feedsawick carrying the lubricant to the bearing, which cup is supplidby lubricant flowingidown from the bearing by a lubricant catcher1on the shaft beneath the bear. I

Itns a further object of this invention to pro videabearing construction of the general character which "is inexpensive of construction and yet highly effective and dependable. The structure of the present invention involves but few simple parts easily manufactured and assembled and it such that when once supplied with lubricant it'ivsiilloperate dependably over a very long periodoftimei j g i It is anot 7 er object of this invention to provide auniq'ue si'rlriple wick a bearing construction ofthe typereferred to which'wick is of simple,

, Application September 23, 1947, Serial No. 775,694

. 5 Claims. (Cl. 308-1341) 2 effective form and is inexpensive of manufacture.

The various objects and features of my invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description of typical preferred forms and applications of the invention, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

'Fig. l is a sectional view of a simple typical vertical electric motor showing the present invention applied to both the upper and lower bearings carrying the motor shaft. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed sectional view of the upper bearing, being a view taken as indicated by line 2--2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 2, taken as indicated by line 33 on Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailedsectional view of the lower bearing, being a view taken as indicated by line 4-4 on Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 4.being a view taken as indicated by line 5 -5 on Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the wick showing it in blank form and before being shaped to accommodate the other parts of the structure. Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the wick shown in Fig. 6 in the shape that it takes when, in place with the other parts. Fig. '8 is a. perspective view of a wick holder that may be employed in carrying out the present invention, and Fig. 9 isa perspective view of the wick holder shown Fig. 8 showing it carrying a wick such as is shown inFig..7.

The present invention is applicable, generally, to shaft bearings or shaft bearing constructions where the arrangement of :the shaft is such that lubricant tends to flow along the shaft and away from the bearing. Sincesuch a conditionppree vails in the case of a verticallydisposed electric motor I have elected to illustrate the invention as applied to such an electric motor and since the invention is highly practical and of particular economic value as applied to fractional horse-- power motors, I have, for'purposev of example, illustrated a very simple motor construction such asis commonly found in small electric motors. It is to be understood thatv my'invention contemplates other forms and applications of the structure provided and thatfor thisreason the particular details'about to be described arenot to be construed as limitations upon the invention.

The particular motor illustrated in the drawings is intended, primarily" for operation in a vertical position, that is, with. its shaft lll vertically disposed as shown in Fig.1. involves, generally, a'stationary body or field II and an armature l2 operating. within thefield. Upper and lower end frames l3'a'nd Mfrespec- Ifhe motor tively, are joined to or carried by the stator or field. An upper bearing A is carried by the upper frame [3 to support the upper end portion l5 of the motor shaft l9 while a lower bearing B is carried by the lower frame Hi to support the lower end portion [6 of the shaft In.

The upper frame I3 is shown as including a central plate through which the shaft portion I5 is passed and legs 2! which project from the plate 20 and are secured to the ends of the field element, as by means of fastening devices 22. The frame 20 carries a seat 23 which supports the bearing sleeve 24 surrounding the shaft portion I5. In the case of the upper frame which I now refer to the seat 23 is formed directly on or as a part of the plate 29, as by suitably forming or shaping the central portion of the plate so that it has a seat portion with the desired concave or spherical seat 25 receiving the bearing sleeve 24. wardly from the plate so that the face 25 that carries the bearing faces downwardly, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The bearing sleeve 24 may be of any desired form or construction. Since the motor being described is a simple small motor the bearing sleeve 24 is shown as a simple annular or continuous member of suitable bearing material, having a bore in which the shaft [5 rotates and having aciroumferentially formed upper end portion 3| shaped to fit into the seat 23 to have seating engagement against the face 25 of the seat. It is advantageous in practice to form the bearing sleeve of porous or oil absorbent material such as is commonly used in the bearings of motors and the like. The bearing sleeve has a central portion 32 the exterior of which is turned to be uniform in diameter throughout its length. At its lower end the bearing sleeve has a reduced lower. end portion 33 presenting a shoulder 34 engaging the upper end 35 of the enlarged central portion 36 of the motor shaft, which portionof the motor shaft carries the armature l2.

My construction provides elements operating in conjunction with those thus fardescribed, which elements include, generally, a cup 40, a lubricant catcher- 4i, and a wick 42. The invention further provides means maintaining the wick in proper position with reference to the bearing sleeve 24 and the cup 40. In the case illustrated the means holding the wick includes a bracket 43 which also serves as a means by which the cup is attached to the plate.

In the general arrangement illustrated the upper end of the bearing'sleeve 24 engages the seat at the plate 20 and the bearing sleeve depends from or below the plate 20.. In such case the cup 40 is supported to depend downwardly around the bearing sleeve to a point well below the bearing sleeve and'the lubricant catcher 4! is mounted on the motor shaft below the'bearing sleeve and is related to the cup so that lubricant flowing down from the bearing reaches the catcher and is deposited by the catcher into the cup.

The bracket 43 shown in the drawings has an annular bodyportion joined to the lower side of plate 20 as by a flange 5i, and it has a downwardly and inwardly formed skirt portion 52 continuing from the lower end of the body portion 50. The body portion .50 of the bracket is considerably larger in diameter than the bearing sleeve 24 which it surrounds, leaving a Wick chamber 54 around the. bearing sleeve. The

The seat is formed or struck upskirt portion 52 of the bracket extends downwardly and inwardly to a point about opposite the lower end of the bearing sleeve where it surrounds the bearing sleeve with considerable clearance, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The cup element 40 has a cylindrical outer wall 55 carried by the bracket 43 and depending therefrom. The cup furtherincludes a bottom 55 which extends inwardly from the lower end of the outer wall to a point close to the shaft. An annular upwardly projecting lip 51 is provided at the inner periphery of the bottom 55 extending upwardly around the shaft with substantialclearance and cooperating with the bottom 56 and outer wall 55 to define an annular lubricant trough 58 around the shaft. In the arrangement illustrated the upper end portion of the outer wall 55 fits tightly over the body 50 of bracket 43, providing a frictional engagement between these parts so that when the cup has been arrangedin place it remains in operating'position. The wall 55 extends down to a point opposite the upper end portion of the enlarged central part 36 of the shaft). The trough 58 is thus established around the upper end portion of the central shaft part 36. The lip 57 of the cup is of limitedvertical extent and terminates short of the skirt 52 of the bracket so that there is a space between these parts.

The lubricant catcher 4| is carried on the shaft to operate therewith and in the preferred arrangement it may be a simple flange-like element tight on the shaft to project, radially therefrom at the space that occurs between the lip 51 and the lower end of the skirt '52. The flangelike catcher is somewhat larger in diameter than the lip 57 so that the outer peripheral edge 66 of the catcher overhangs or overlies the trough 58. In practice I prefer to press or otherwise make the catcher tight on the shaft, for instance, on the shaft portion 36, with the result that lubricant from bearing sleeve 24fiowing down on the shaft reaches the catcher 4| and asthe shaft rotates such lubricant is thrown out on the catcher to be discharged from the periphery of the catcher so that it is caught. by the cup to accumulate in the trough 58. v

The wick 42 as it occurs in thegstructu're here,- inabove described, is shaped as shown in. Fig. 7.. In accordance with my invention the wick. is formed of a porousmaterialisuch as felt or the. like, and it has an annular body portion. '62, fitting snugly around the. bearing. sleeve and it has one or more depending legs E3.depending; from the body portion and into the trough158. of the cup 453;- In accordance with myinventionI prefer to form the wick of'an elongatefstrip S of soft. felt, or other material having'capi'llari action and. I provide such strip" of 'material'iat a. point intermediate its ends with a. slit 1.0 so that/the. portion of the strip in the vicimty' of the; sljitemay be spread to form the annular body 62. Wherebut one leg 63 is requiredtheslit 10 may befloc'ated adjacent one end "of. the strip." owever.- where two legs are provided, asshiofwn in 'Ijthe slit. 7!) is located midway betweenthe ends of the, strip.

The slit 10 is made of; Sufil'cifent. length so that. the material in the vicinity ofthe split can: be.

readily spread or formed into. the, annular body 62 having a central opening 64 receiving the hearing sleeve. In the case illustratedthe opening;54 is shown receiving the-.Iniddleportion-32 of the bearing sleeve. The leg} or. legs 6310f. thewick as the case may be, depend from the body, that is, from the outer peripheral portion of the bodyf52,

and where a skirted portion 43 -is provided, as above described, the skirt 52 of the bracket is provided with openings passing the legsof the wick. It is preferred that the lower ends 61 oi the wick not only enter the trough 58 but that theybesuch as to bear upon the bottom of the trough as shown in the drawings.

Through the construction that I have provided lubricant deposited in the trough 58 by the catcher 4| is taken up by the wick 42 and through capillary action feeds upwardly to the body 62 of the wick which deposits it onto the bearing sleeve. Lubricant thus deposited on the bearing sleeverea'dily'finds its way over the surfaces of the bearing sleeve either to the upper end or the lower end of the bearing, with .the

result that it reaches the interior of the bearing sleeve where lubrication is required. If desired, 7

one or more radial lubricant feed openings 88 may be provided in the bearing sleeve, preferably at the portion of the sleeve surrounded by the body 62 of the wick, so that lubricant may pass directly from the wick into the interior of the bearing sleeve to work its way between the shaft and the bearing sleeve. When the sleeve is formed of porous material lubricant fed by the wick is taken up by the sleeve to lubricate the bearing surfaces. It is to be observed that I have provided the bracket 43 which serves the dual purpose of holding the cup 40 and also the wick 42. By fitting the leg or legs of the wick through the skirt of the bracket in the proper manner the wick is effectively held in position without choking or retarding flow of lubricant upwardly through the wick.

A holder 85 is preferably provided in the structure thus far described and in the preferred form of the invention the holder 85 serves to hold the bearing sleeve 24 up and in engagement with the seat 23 and it also holds the body portion of the wick up and in proper contact with the bearing sleeve. The holder 85 may be a simple annular part carried in the bracket 43 so that it is supported on the skirt 52 of the bracket. The holder is preferably formed of resilient material, for instance, it may be formed of thin spring steel or the like. The engagement between the holder and the bearing sleeve is established through lips 88 that project inwardly from the inner periphery of the holder and engage a downwardly facing shoulder 98 on the bearing sleeve.

In the particular case illustrated there are two diametrically opposite lips 88 that engage and hold the bearing sleeve and between the lips the inner peripheral portion of the holder is cut away, establishing openings 81 that pass the legs 63 of the wick. It will be understood that the legs of the wick may be suitably fitted or held in the openings 81 and it will be apparent that the body of the wick is confined or held above the holder where it contacts the bearing sleeve.

The structure employed at the lower bearing B is substantially the same as that above described except that at the lower bearing the plate 2!] of the lower frame l4 does not directly carry the seat that supports the bearing. In this case the bracket 43* has a body 50 joined to the under side of the plate 20 as by a flange and the skirt portion 52 of the bracket, instead of extending downwardly and inwardly ex tends inwardly and its inner peripheral portion is shaped to form the seat 23 so that it has an upwardly facing spherical seating surface 25. The lower end portion 3W of the, bearing. sleeve v2 4% is, spherically curved and seats; downwardly ontheseat.2.3 .j. I i q In this form of the invention thecup 48 may be the same as that above described, thatis, it may include, an; outer .wall- 55, abottom :56. and an. upwardly projecting inner'lip 51, all of which parts definean annular trough 58* around the shaft In this'case the trough surrounds the lower end portion I6 of the shaft rather than theenlarged middle, portion 36 of the shaft. The lubricant catcher 4| isa. flange-like part fixed on the shaft portion IE to extend outwardly in the space between the upper edge of the lip 51% and the lower edge of the seat portion 23 The wick ;42 employed: in this form of the-invention maybe identical with that above described, except thatit is shown with the body portion 62 enga ing 0r embracin v the upper end portion of the bearing rather than'theniddle portion thereof and it. is shown as having Iegs,63 somewhat longer than the legs 83 above described. .The leg or legs of the wick depend through the bracket 43 and they are shown passing through suitable openings 66 in the skirt portion 52 of the bracket. 7

The-holder 85 employed in connection with the lower bearing B may be substantially the same as the holder 85 hereinabove described, in that it may be a resilient ring carried in bracket it and having lips engaging a shoulder 90'?- on the bearing sleeve that is supported by the seat 23* The holder 185 may be provided with openings 81 a which pass or accommodate the legs of the wick while the body portion of the Wick is supported on or above the holder so, thatit is maintained inproper contact with the bearing sleeve. From the foregoing description it will be apparentthat I have provided a lubricated hear: ing construction particularly useful as applied to vertical bearings and that myconstruction involves few simple parts that serve to catch inbricant draining from a bearing and deposit it in an annular trough where it is picked upby a wickto be carried up to the bearing to again fiow through the bearing and down for recirculation. It is to be noted that my construction involves no parts subject to wear or deterioration since I provide no running or working parts on which wear occurs. Further, it is to be observed that my construction is such as to provide a suitable reservoir in the annular trough serving to hold an adequate supply of lubricant so that the bearing will operate for a very long period of time without requiring any care or attention whatever. i

Having described only typical preferred forms and applications of my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A lubricator fora bearing on a vertical shaft including, an upwardly opening cup surrounding the shaft and having a lubricant receptacle below the bearing, a lubricant catcher on the shaft below the bearing projecting radially into the receptacle and delivering lubricant from the shaft to the receptacle, and a wick receiving lubricant at the receptacle and delivering it to the bearing, the wick having a complete annular body continuously surrounding and bearing on the periphery of the bearing and a leg depending'from the, body into thereceptacle. I I

- 2; In a-structure of the character described, a frame having a bearing seat, a bracket supported by and'depending from the frame and having a vertically disposed annular part, a bearing supported onthe seat, a vertical shaft carried in the bearing, a cup frictionally engaged with and supported by the annular part of the bracket and depending therefromand having an upwardly opening annular lubricant trough around the shaft below the bearing, a lubricant catcher fixed on the shaft and delivering lubricant from the shaft to the trough, and a wick having a part engaging the bearing and a, part in the trough.

3. In-a structure of-the character described, a frame having a bearing seat, a bearing supported on theseat, a vertical shaft carried in the bearing, a bracket carried by the frame and depending therefrom, the bracket having a fixed vertically disposed annular part, a detachable cup having a part surrounding and carried by said part of the bracket and depending therefrom and having an upwardly opening annular lubricant trough around the shaft below the bearing, a lubricant catcher fixed on the shaft and delivering lubricant from the shaft to the trough, a Wick having an annular body surrounding and bearing on the periphery of the bearing and having a leg depending from the body into the trough, and a holder carried by the bracket engaging the bearing and holding it on the seat, the body of the wick being supported on the holder and the holder and bracket having openings passing the leg of the wick,

4. In a structure of the character described, a frame, a bracket fixed to the frame and depending' therefrom, a seat at the center of the bracket, a bearin engaging the seat, a vertical shaft carried in thebearing, a cup frictionally engaged with and wholly carried by the bracket and depending therefrom and having an annular upwardly opening trough around'the shaft below the bearing, a lubricant catcher on the shaft below the bearing and above the trough and pro- 4 jecting' radially into the cup, the catcher receivirig lubricantfroni Ithev shaft and delivering it'to the trough, a. wick receiving lubricant from the trough and delivering, it to'thebearing, and a holder carried. by the bracket holding the bearing on'the seatand the wick in engagement with the periphery of the' bearing.

' 5. In a structure offlthe character described, a frame having a bearing seat, a bracket supported by and depending from the frame and having a vertically disposed cylindrical part adjacent the frame, a bearing supported on the seat, a vertical shaft carried in the bearing, an upwardly opening cup having anupper annular part frictionally held on saidpart of the bracket, the cup forming an annular lubricant trough-surrounding the shaft below the bearing, a Iubr-icantcatcher fixed on the shaft and delivering lubricant from the shaft, to the trough, a wick having a part engaging the bearing and part in the trough, and a holder carried by the bracket and'holding the wick in engagement with the bearing.

VIRGIL S. JOHNSTON.

, REFERENCES CITED The following references are'of record in the file of this patent:

ITEpfsjTA'rEs PATENTS Number Name 1 Date 297,622 Nel Apr. 29, 1884 403,448 Saunders 1 May 14, 1889 773,935 Hallock Nov. 1, 1904 1,570,356 Lane Jan. 19, 1926 1,656,702 Finch Jan. 1'7, 1928 2,053,425 Else Sept. 8, 1936 2,060,651 Allen Nov. 10, 1936 2,124,479 Whitaker July 19, 1938 2,171,390 Bode Aug. 29, 1939 2,232,788 I Kitto- Feb. 25, 1941 2,484,166 Huston Oct, 11, 1949 2,522,985 Bradley Sept. 19, 1950 I FOREIGN PATENTS y N umber Country Date 369,202 Germany Feb. 16, 1923 

